Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

Hypertoni är vanligt förekommande i dagens samhälle och anses därför ha blivit en folksjukdom. Uppskattningsvis har 1,8 miljoner av Sveriges vuxna befolkning hypertoni. Hypertoni står för cirka 13 procent av den totala dödligheten i världen, och ses som en riskfaktor till ett stort antal hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar. Idag finns det internationella riktlinjer för vård av hypertoni i bland annat England och USA. Dock saknas det specifika svenska riktlinjer för vård av hypertoni. Syftet med litteraturstudien var att belysa hur hälsofrämjande åtgärder kan påverka blodtrycket hos personer med hypertoni. Litteraturstudiens resultat bygger på en genomgång av 16 vetenskapliga artiklar som söktes utifrån litteraturstudiens syfte och problemformulering. De hälsofrämjande åtgärder som kan påverka blodtrycket hos personer med hypertoni belyses i resultatet. Dessa åtgärder handlar om viktminskning, fysisk aktivitet, kost, alkohol, rökning, stress och stöd. Effekten av de hälsofrämjande åtgärderna har visat att en blodtryckssänkning kan ske vid livsstilsförändringar. En bromsning i utvecklandet av hypertoni kan leda till hälsoekonomiska besparingar för samhället. Nationella riktlinjer samt vårdprogram för behandling av hypertoni bör utvecklas för att en bromsning av hypertoni ska kunna ske. / Hypertension is common in today's society and is therefore considered to have become a national disease. An estimated 1.8 million of Sweden's adult population have hypertension. Hypertension accounts for about 13 percent of the total mortality in the world, and is seen as a risk factor for numerous cardiovascular diseases. Today there are international guidelines for the treatment of hypertension in, England and USA. However, there are no specific Swedish guidelines for treatment of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to elucidate how health interventions can influence blood pressure in people with hypertension. The results of this literature study are based on a review of 16 scientific articles which was based on literature review and order problem. The health-promoting interventions that can affect blood pressure in people with hypertension are highlighted in the results. Such interventions are weight loss, physical activity, diet, alcohol, smoking, stress and support. The effect of health promotion interventions has shown that lowering blood pressure can occur if lifestyle changes are implemented and carried out. A braking in the development of hypertension can lead to health-economic benefits to the community. National guidelines and care programs for the treatment of hypertension should be developed to a braking of hypertension to happen.

Syftet med litteratur studien var att beskriva vilka studier som har gjorts med fokus på ”grön omsorg” /utemiljö i vården av personer med demens, samt att beskriva personalens upplevelse av dessa omvårdnadsåtgärder och eventuella effekter på de boende. Litteratursökningar gjordes i databaserna Medline och Chinal, och resulterade i nio inkluderade studier. Resultatet visade att flertalet av studierna hade som syfte att studera utemiljö och boendes välbefinnande och beteende. Sex studier hade en icke-experimentell design, två studier hade en kvasiexperimentell design och en studie var uppdelad i två delar varav den ena delen hade en icke-experimentell design och den andra delen hade en kvasiexperimentell design. Studierna var publicerade under åren 1992-2006 och vanligast förekommande datainsamlingsmetod var observationer av funktionsförmåga/beteende hos de boende. Granskningen av artiklarna indikerade positiva förändringar, framförallt minskat aggressivt beteende och förbättrat välbefinnande vid vistelse i utemiljöer hos personer med demens. Personalen och närstående var i stort positivt inställda till dessa utemiljöer i omvårdnaden av personer med demens. / The aim of the review was to describe studies that have been done with focus on “green care”/exterior environment in the care of people with dementia. Another aim was to describe the staff member’s experience of these arrangements and contingent effects, on the patients. Literature search was made in Medline and Chinal databases, and resulted in nine included studies. The results indicated that a majority of these studies had outdoor environment and effects on the residents’ well being and behavior as a study purpose. Six studies had a non-experimental design, two studies had a quasi-experimental design and one study was divided into two parts of which the first part had a non-experimental design and the second part had a quasi-experimental design. The studies were published between 1992- 2006 and the most common method of collecting data was observations of functionality/behaviour of the residents. The review of the studies focusing on the exterior environment indicated positive changes in subjects with dementia. In particular a decrease of aggressive behaviour and improved well being was seen. The staff and the subjects’ relatives were all in all positive to the outdoor environments in the care of subjects with dementia.

SAMMANFATTNING Inledning: Trots gällande rekommendationer om minst 30 minuters fysisk aktivitet per dag är många människor inte tillräckligt fysiskt aktiva. Endast 30 procent av kvinnorna och 23 procent av männen motionerar två gånger per vecka. Tidigare studier visar på vilka hinder som finns för regelbunden motion, även möjliggörande faktorer har studerats men inte i samma utsträckning.                               Syfte:   Att beskriva faktorer som möjliggör motion hos vuxna på en hälsofrämjande nivå. Metod:   Studien genomfördes som semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex personer. Intervjuerna analyserades med manifest innehållsanalys. Resultat:   Fem subkategorier växte fram genom analys av det manifesta innehållet: "Har tidigare motionsvana", "Tillgång till socialt stöd", "Viktigt med tillgänglighet", "Önskan om självförbättring" och "Förmåga att prioritera träning". Dessa bildade sedan tre huvudkategorier "Tidigare motionsvana", "Yttre betingelser" samt "Inre betingelser". Konklusion:   Att ha varit fysiskt aktiv som barn eller tonåring är av stor betydelse när det gäller förmågan att motionera regelbundet i vuxen ålder. Socialt stöd, framför allt i form av en förstående familj, och egen vilja är två andra viktiga faktorer som framkom i studien. Studiens resultat tyder på att en stor del av det hälsofrämjande arbetet bör läggas på barn och tonåringar i skola och på fritiden.                                 SAMMANFATTNING Inledning:   Trots gällande rekommendationer om minst 30 minuters fysisk aktivitet per dag är många människor inte tillräckligt fysiskt aktiva. Endast 30 procent av kvinnorna och 23 procent av männen motionerar två gånger per vecka. Tidigare studier visar på vilka hinder som finns för regelbunden motion, även möjliggörande faktorer har studerats men inte i samma utsträckning. Syfte:   Att beskriva faktorer som möjliggör motion hos vuxna på en hälsofrämjande nivå. Metod:   Studien genomfördes som semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex personer. Intervjuerna analyserades med manifest innehållsanalys. Resultat:   Fem subkategorier växte fram genom analys av det manifesta innehållet: "Har tidigare motionsvana", "Tillgång till socialt stöd", "Viktigt med tillgänglighet", "Önskan om självförbättring" och "Förmåga att prioritera träning". Dessa bildade sedan tre huvudkategorier "Tidigare motionsvana", "Yttre betingelser" samt "Inre betingelser". Konklusion:   Att ha varit fysiskt aktiv som barn eller tonåring är av stor betydelse när det gäller förmågan att motionera regelbundet i vuxen ålder. Socialt stöd, framför allt i form av en förstående familj, och egen vilja är två andra viktiga faktorer som framkom i studien. Studiens resultat tyder på att en stor del av det hälsofrämjande arbetet bör läggas på barn och tonåringar i skola och på fritiden. / ABSTRACT Introduction:   Despite current recommendations of 30 minutes of daily physical activity many people are not physical active enough. Merely 30 percent of the women and 23 percent of the men exercise twice a week. Previous studies indicate barriers to exercise on a regular basis, facilitators have not been studied to the same extent. Aim:   To describe factors that enable regular exercise for adults on a health promoting level. Method:   The study was carried out as semi-structured interviews with six persons. The interviews were analysed recording to manifest content analysis research approach. Results:   Five subcategories evolved through analysis of the manifest content: "Previously habit of exercise", "Asset of social support", "Importance of accessibility", "Desire of self-improvement" and "Ability to prioritise exercise". These subcategories formed three categories; "Previously habit of exercise", "External stipulations" and "Internal stipulations". Conclusion:   To have been physical active as a child or teenager is of great importance when it comes to ability to exercise on a regular basis as an adult. Social support, especially when it comes to an understanding family, and one’s own will are two other important factors that emerged in this study. The results of the study indicate that a great part of health promoting activities ought to be put on children and teenagers in school and at their leisure time.

Denna studie berör skolor som är medlemmar i nätverket European Network of Health Promoting Schools och benämner sig som hälsofrämjande skolor. Syftet var: Att identifiera, beskriva, förklara och förstå de metoder som används inom undervisningen i hälsofrämjande grundskolor i Norden och Storbritannien. Metoden var litteraturgranskning då detta är en litteraturstudie. Vetenskapliga artiklar och utvärderande material användes och ett totalt antal av 13 artiklar som berörde flera skolor i ett land presenteras i studien. Resultatet visade att eleverna skulle vara mer självständiga i sitt kunskapsinhämtande och skolorna använde metoder såsom egna undersökningar eller diskussioner. Detta var något som hörde ihop med skolornas grundtankar då de ville uppfostra självständiga människor. I analysarbetet bearbetades resultatet med John Dewey´s och Lev Vygotskijs´s synsätt och teorier. Trots att inga teorier uttalades i resultatet kunde dessa anknytningar göras och slutsatsen kunde dras att skolorna har influeras av de två perspektiven.

There is accumulating evidence that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) produce a glycoprotein called glomalin, which has the potential to increase soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage, thereby reducing soil emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) into the atmosphere. However, other soil microorganisms such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that interact with AMF could indirectly influence glomalin production. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of AMF and PGPR interactions on glomalin production and identify possible combinations of these organisms that could enhance C and N storage in the rhizosphere. The effects of AMF and PGPR interactions on pea (Pisum sativum L.) growth and correlations between glomalin production and plant growth also were assessed.<p> A series of growth chamber and laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the effect of fungal and host plant species on glomalin production by comparing the amounts of glomalin produced by Glomus clarum, G. intraradices, and G. mosseae in association with corn (Zea mays L.), in addition to examining differences in the ability of corn, pea, and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to support glomalin production by G. intraradices. There were no significant differences in glomalin production [measured in the rhizosphere as Bradford-reactive soil protein (BRSP)] by the three AMF species, whereas host plant significantly affected glomalin production. Specifically, higher BRSP concentrations were found in the rhizosphere of corn as compared to pea and wheat.<p> Additionally, the effect of long-term storage on the growth promoting traits of the PGPR strains selected; namely, Pseudomonas cepacia R55 and R85, P. aeruginosa R75, P. putida R105, and P. fluorescence R111 were investigated. These bacterial strains previously had been identified as PGPR, but had since undergone approximately twenty years of storage at -80¢ªC; thus, it was necessary to confirm that these strains had retained their plant growth promoting characteristics. Apparently, long-term storage had no significant adverse effect on the PGPR strains as all strains increased the total biomass of wheat significantly and demonstrated antagonism against fungal pathogens.<p> The possibility that spore-associated bacteria (SAB) could influence AMF associations, thereby affecting glomalin production, and subsequent crop yield potential was assessed. This was achieved by first isolating bacteria from disinfested spores of the AMF species and determining their potential as PGPR for wheat. According to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles, four genera of bacteria were isolated from AMF spores namely; Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Paenibacillus, of which Bacillus species were the most common SAB. None of these isolates, however, showed growth promoting abilities on wheat.<p> Based on the preliminary findings, the combined effects of the three AMF species and the five PGPR strains were examined on plant growth and glomalin production under gnotobiotic conditions using pea as the host plant. Interactions between G. intraradices and R75, R85, or R105 resulted in increased BRSP concentration in the mycorrhizosphere of pea. Additionally, significant interactions were observed between the AMF species and PGPR strains on BRSP concentration in pea rhizosphere under non-sterile conditions. As observed under sterile conditions, the co-inoculation of pea with G. intraradices and R75 or R85 increased BRSP concentrations in the rhizosphere of pea grown in non-sterile soil, although interaction effects were not significantly different from the control or when G. intraradices was applied alone. Significant AMF and PGPR interactions were observed to affect AMF colonization; however, the combination of these organisms did not significantly affect pea growth, nutrient uptake, and C and N storage in the plant rhizosphere. No correlations were detected between glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), pea growth, nutrient concentrations in the plant tissue, and soil organic C and N content. This study demonstrated that although the potential exists to manipulate certain AMF and PGPR to enhance glomalin production, co-inoculation of AMF and PGPR did not enhance plant growth or C and N storage beyond that achieved by inoculation of either organism.

Soil salinity is a widespread problem that limits crop yield throughout the world. The accumulation of soluble salts in the soil can inhibit plant growth by increasing the osmotic potential of interstitial water, inducing ion toxicity and nutrient imbalances in plants. Over the last decade, considerable effort has been put into developing economical and effective methods to reclaim these damaged soils. Phytoremediation is a technique that uses plants to extract, contain, immobilize and degrade contaminants in soil. The most common process for salt bioremediation is phytoextraction which uses plants to accumulate salt in the shoots, which is then removed by harvesting the foliage. As developing significant plant biomass in saline soils is an issue, a group of free-living rhizobacteria, called plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), can be applied to plant seeds to aid plant growth by alleviating salt stress. The principle objective of this research was to test the efficacy of PGPR in improving the growth of plants on salt-impacted soils through greenhouse and field studies. In this research, previously isolated PGPR strains of Pseudomonas putida. UW3, Pseudomonas putida UW4, and Pseudomonas corrugata CMH3 were applied to barley (Hordeum valgare C.V. AC ranger), oats (Avena sativa C.V. CDC baler), tall wheatgrass (Agropyron elongatum), and tall fescue (festuca arundinacea C.V. Inferno). PGPR effects on plant growth, membrane stability, and photosynthetic activity under salt stress were examined. Greenhouse studies showed that plants treated with PGPR resulted in an increase in plant biomass by up to 500% in salt-impacted soils. Electrolyte leakage assay showed that plants treated with PGPR resulted in 50% less electrolyte leakage from membranes. Several chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, Fv/Fm, effective quantum yield, Fs, qP, and qN obtained from pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry showed that PGPR-treated plants resulted in improvement in photosynthesis under salt stress. Field studies showed that PGPR promoted shoot dry biomass production by 27% to 230%. The NaCl accumulation in plant shoots increased by 7% to 98% with PGPR treatment. The averaged soil salinity level at the CMS and CMN site decreased by 20% and 60%, respectively, during the 2008 field season. However, there was no evidence of a decrease in soil salinity at the AL site. Based on the improvements of plant biomass production and NaCl uptake by PGPR observed in the 2008 field studies, the phytoremediation efficiency on salt-impacted sites is expected to increase by 30-60% with PGPR treatments. Based on the average data of 2007 and 2008 field season, the time required to remove 25% of NaCl of the top 50 cm soil at the CMS, CMN and AL site is estimated to be six, twelve, and sixteen years, respectively, with PGPR treatments. The remediation efficiency is expected to accelerate during the remediation process as the soil properties and soil salinity levels improve over time.

No description available.

Soil salinity is a widespread problem that limits crop yield throughout the world. The accumulation of soluble salts in the soil can inhibit plant growth by increasing the osmotic potential of interstitial water, inducing ion toxicity and nutrient imbalances in plants. Over the last decade, considerable effort has been put into developing economical and effective methods to reclaim these damaged soils. Phytoremediation is a technique that uses plants to extract, contain, immobilize and degrade contaminants in soil. The most common process for salt bioremediation is phytoextraction which uses plants to accumulate salt in the shoots, which is then removed by harvesting the foliage. As developing significant plant biomass in saline soils is an issue, a group of free-living rhizobacteria, called plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), can be applied to plant seeds to aid plant growth by alleviating salt stress. The principle objective of this research was to test the efficacy of PGPR in improving the growth of plants on salt-impacted soils through greenhouse and field studies. In this research, previously isolated PGPR strains of Pseudomonas putida. UW3, Pseudomonas putida UW4, and Pseudomonas corrugata CMH3 were applied to barley (Hordeum valgare C.V. AC ranger), oats (Avena sativa C.V. CDC baler), tall wheatgrass (Agropyron elongatum), and tall fescue (festuca arundinacea C.V. Inferno). PGPR effects on plant growth, membrane stability, and photosynthetic activity under salt stress were examined. Greenhouse studies showed that plants treated with PGPR resulted in an increase in plant biomass by up to 500% in salt-impacted soils. Electrolyte leakage assay showed that plants treated with PGPR resulted in 50% less electrolyte leakage from membranes. Several chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, Fv/Fm, effective quantum yield, Fs, qP, and qN obtained from pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry showed that PGPR-treated plants resulted in improvement in photosynthesis under salt stress. Field studies showed that PGPR promoted shoot dry biomass production by 27% to 230%. The NaCl accumulation in plant shoots increased by 7% to 98% with PGPR treatment. The averaged soil salinity level at the CMS and CMN site decreased by 20% and 60%, respectively, during the 2008 field season. However, there was no evidence of a decrease in soil salinity at the AL site. Based on the improvements of plant biomass production and NaCl uptake by PGPR observed in the 2008 field studies, the phytoremediation efficiency on salt-impacted sites is expected to increase by 30-60% with PGPR treatments. Based on the average data of 2007 and 2008 field season, the time required to remove 25% of NaCl of the top 50 cm soil at the CMS, CMN and AL site is estimated to be six, twelve, and sixteen years, respectively, with PGPR treatments. The remediation efficiency is expected to accelerate during the remediation process as the soil properties and soil salinity levels improve over time.